


Elevator Confessions

by sjhw_tolerance (mscorkill)



Series: Confessions [1]
Category: Sanctuary (TV), Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-23
Updated: 2012-04-23
Packaged: 2017-11-04 04:02:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/389535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mscorkill/pseuds/sjhw_tolerance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Helen Magnus visits NORAD.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Elevator Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the AT4 panel question of what Sam Carter and Helen Magnus would discuss if stuck in an elevator together...however I've put a bit of a different twist on it. ;-)
> 
> Originally posted November 2009.

ELEVATOR CONFESSIONS

General Jack O’Neill was running late. Normally, being the General and all, it didn’t bother him. But today, according to Walter, his schedule was packed so tight there wasn’t even time to breathe much less sneak away for a few minutes alone with Carter. SG1’s schedule had been equally tight as of late, which was a situation he could do something about, at least according to Sam, but she obviously didn’t realize what a taskmaster Walter was. So this morning, when he had planned meet Sam for breakfast but instead found himself stuck for an hour in traffic after a big rig had jack-knifed, he was more than a little annoyed. His only salvation would be if his first appointment had given up on him or the less-likely scenario that Walter would take pity on him.

Traffic seemed to be just as bad at the base and Jack waited impatiently behind a stretch limo that seemed to materialize out of nowhere and stopped right at the main entrance. The driver didn’t seem to be in any hurry as he leisurely walked around the back of the sleek black vehicle and opened the rear passenger door. Jack was momentarily distracted from his annoyance with being delayed even more when he saw the occupant of the limo emerge, a tall, dark-haired woman, her long black coating swirling around her legs as a gust of wind caught it. She said something to the driver, who nodded and then thankfully, the man got back into the limo and drove off. Jack didn’t give her a second thought when he saw the limo move forward, quickly following and finally pulling into his ever-so-lovely reserved parking spot.

Jumping out of the truck, he pulled out his phone and called Walter. “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he said, hanging up before Walter could say anything. Making his way quickly to the first checkpoint, he nodded at the guard on duty and walked rapidly to the first set of elevators—where the woman he’d seen exiting the limo stood.

It wasn’t unusual to see civilians at Cheyenne Mountain, both the SGC and NORAD had their share of civilian contractors and visitors. But there was something different about this woman and it wasn’t just because she gave him a cursory glance as he arrived at the elevators, before she looked straight ahead, apparently not giving him a second thought. Since she seemed bent on ignoring him, Jack took the opportunity to study her. She had long dark hair, not black, as he’d thought when he’d first seen her, but a deep brown with just the faintest highlights. She was tall, even without the ridiculously high heels she wore, she’d still be taller than most. Her coat was now slung over her arm, her visitor badge clearly visible attached to the lapel of the black jacket she wore that matched the knee-length tight skirt. 

Jack heard the chime that announced the arrival of the elevator, the doors sliding open. He stood back and waited politely for the woman to enter, momentarily distracted by the smooth sway of her hips as she entered the elevator. He didn’t realize just how distracted he’d been until the sound of her clearing her voice broke into his thoughts. From within the interior of the elevator she raised an elegant eyebrow, looking mildly amused by his sudden discomfort.

“Ah, sorry,” he muttered, wondering if he dared to wait for the next elevator. But it was almost like she read his mind, her gray eyes suddenly challenging and putting on his best General swagger, Jack entered the elevator.

The door slid shut and since he was on the side with the buttons, he asked, “Which floor?”

“Fifteen,” she answered, her voice crisp and clear with an accent that sounded British but not quite….

Jack pushed the requested floor, even more curious now. The bank of elevators that went down to the SGC were located on Level Fifteen, along with numerous offices, he was forced to acknowledge. They stood, politely staring at the changing floor numbers, when Jack’s curiosity got the better of him.

“Visiting someone?”

She glanced at him, that amused look still glimmering in her eyes, but before she could answer, the lights suddenly went out and the elevator shuddered, lurching to a gear-grinding stop. Jack staggered and he heard the woman gasp; he automatically reached out in the dark to steady his companion, his outstretched hand thankfully colliding with her arm and he gripped her tightly when the elevator dropped a few more feet before coming—he hoped—to a final stop.

The emergency lighting flickered on and Jack glanced quickly at his companion, really hoping he wasn’t going to have to deal with a hysterical woman and a stuck elevator.

“Is this a common occurrence in your elevators?” the not-hysterical woman asked. Jack let go of her arm and she reached into her handbag and pulled out a flashlight. 

“Ah…no, it’s not,” he commented, ignoring for the moment the fact that she had a flashlight in her purse and moved with her to the control panel. 

“Is there an emergency button?” she asked, moving the light slowly over the controls. 

Jack frowned, leaning forward to check out the panel. He didn’t see any nice, bright red emergency button. “I guess not,” he finally said, frowning. 

“Bloody brilliant,” the woman muttered.

There was a crackle and the sound of static. “But there is an intercom,” Jack added.

“Thank god for that.”

_“Hello? Hello?”_

Jack moved closer to the panel. “This is General O’Neill. I’m stuck with one other passenger in Elevator,” he looked quickly at the top of the panel. “Elevator 3-A.”

There was more static and crackling, followed by a voice over the intercom that Jack thought he recognized. 

_”Okay, General. I’m not sure how long this is going to take, but we’ll get you out of there.”_

“Siler? Is that you?”

_“Yes, sir.”_

“What the hell is going on?” If Siler was involved it meant whatever happened had happened down in the SGC.

_“Ah….”_

The intercom went quiet, not even any static and Jack started to get a feeling of impending doom.

_“Sir? This is Carter.”_

“Carter, thank god,” he said. “What the hell is going on?”

_“There was a power surge, sir. You say there’s someone else with you?”_

“Umm…yes.” Jack looked at his companion, who was leaning against the back wall with her arms folded in front of her.

“Doctor Magnus,” she said loudly and clearly. “Doctor Helen Magnus.”

More static and then Carter’s voice again. _“Right.”_

There was a long pause and Jack knew she was trying to decide just how much she could say about the situation. He really wondered what the hell was going on down on Level Twenty-eight. 

_“Well, sir, there was an unexpected power surge, but nothing to worry about. It’s just going to take us a little bit of time to bypass some of the fried circuits. We’ll get you out of there as soon as we can.”_

Unexpected power surge…he wondered what had exploded. He sighed heavily. “Carter, just send someone down the elevator shaft after us.” 

_“Ah…no sir, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. It shouldn’t be more than—”_ Jack listened vainly to the static. _“It shouldn’t be more than an hour. Just hang tight.”_

“Right,” he said. “Hanging tight. O‘Neill out.”

He frowned and glanced up at the ceiling wondering if he dared to disobey her. He was the general after all….

“General O’Neill? General Jack O’Neill?”

Jack reluctantly looked away from the trapdoor in the ceiling at his fellow elevator captive. “Have we met before, ma’am?”

“No,” she replied. “We’ve never met, but your name has come up. I believe we have a common acquaintance in Catherine Langford.”

“Ah, so you know Catherine.”

“Yes, I’ve known her for…” Magnus paused, a slight smile in her voice. “Well, for years.”

“Funny, she’s never mentioned you.”

“General, I’m sure you must have friends you’ve never mentioned to Catherine.”

Well, she had him there. It had been a while since he’d even been to visit Catherine, something he really ought to do—if they ever got out of this elevator.

Doctor Magnus moved, taking her coat off and spreading her coat on the floor, gracefully sitting down with her legs curled up beneath her. Jack was impressed; she managed to make the move in the tight skirt look easy and without exposing anything. “We might as well get comfortable,” she said with a shrug and a smile that looked almost challenging.

Jack’s answering smile was wry as he slid down on the floor opposite of her, leaning against the wall with his legs bent and boots planted firmly on the floor. “So you’re an archaeologist?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m a medical doctor.”

Jack knew Catherine had been ill. “Are you Catherine’s doctor?”

“No, I mostly deal with psychology now.”

“Ah, a head shrinker.”

“In a manner of speaking, I suppose. My specialty is abnormal psychology.”

Magnus said ‘specialty’ in that peculiar way that added an extra syllable, making it sound sexy instead of snooty. Dragging his thoughts back from that wayward thought Jack asked, “So what brings you to NORAD?” 

She gave him that secretly amused smile again. “I do consulting. Sometimes I am called upon by your government when they require someone with my particular expertise.”

“Ah, I see.” He didn’t really, but Jack could tell when he was about to be given the run around. 

“So General O’Neill, I take it you’re assigned to the base?”

“Yes, ma’am. Deep Space Telemetry.”

“Deep space telemetry requires a General?”

Jack’s eyes narrowed, she was definitely toying with him but he could be just as vague in his answers as she could. “You’d be surprised, ma’am. Deep space telemetry is…very deep.”

She chuckled. “Ah General, perhaps we shouldn’t talk about our work? I am quite used to keeping secrets myself.” She leaned back against the wall, looking cool and relaxed. “Tell me about yourself.”

Jack settled back too, prepared to play her game, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. There was just something about her…. “Like what?”

“Likes, dislikes; hobbies, sports; friends, family.”

“No family.”

“No?” 

She looked intrigued and Jack regretted his quick reply. 

“No wife?”

“Divorced.”

“Children?”

“Not anymore.”

“Ah…I am sorry.” Her apology sounded sincere.

“It was a long time ago.”

“That is one thing a parent should never have to face.” She was quiet for a moment, a brief sadness in her face that Jack recognized all too well, but then it was gone and she was smiling at him again. “Girlfriend?”

Jack squirmed; how the hell had he gotten into a discussion of his love life with a total stranger? For some reason he didn’t want to lie to her though, damn shrinks. “Well…kind of, but not really.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know for sure?” 

“No,” he said a bit too quickly. “I know for sure. It’s just complicated.”

“I see.” She looked at him steadily before she continued and Jack had to stop himself from squirming again. “There are few enough opportunities for happiness in our lifetimes to let ‘complications’ get in the way,” she said with quiet confidence. “There will always be circumstances, none of which I’ve discovered, are rarely insurmountable.”

Her face and voice were sincere and Jack found himself believing her. What she said was true, he’d had the same internal debate with himself about his ‘complicated’ feelings for Sam numerous times over the years. There was always a way, it might not be easy or wise, but he’d always known the ultimate result would be worth whatever it took. But enough about him, it was time for the good doctor to answer a few questions.

“What about you, Doc? Family? Friends? Lovers?”

She chuckled again. “I don’t believe we were finished with you yet, General. But to answer your question, yes.”

“Yes? That’s it?”

Magnus shrugged. “Yes. I’ve had family, friends and lovers.”

“All in the past tense?”

She gave him that secret smile again. “Perhaps. Our lives are fluid and ever-changing. What is true for me today may not be true tomorrow.”

“Now you sound like a psychologist.”

“You make it sound like an insult, sir.”

Jack chuckled. “No, Doc. I just call it like I see it.”

“Well, General,” she added with an enigmatic smile. “Perhaps you should apply that same philosophy to your ‘kind of but not really’ girlfriend.”

She had him again. “Maybe I should, Doc. Maybe I should.”

“Well, I believe we have hobbies and sports left to discuss.”

“Sports are easy, there is only one—” 

Jack was interrupted by the low rumble of machinery and the elevator lurched abruptly, causing both he and his companion to almost lose their balance. Jack immediately braced himself for something worse, but then the machinery settled into a low and familiar hum and the elevator started moving smoothly downward. Jack jumped to his feet just as the elevator stopped right as originally planned on Level Fifteen.

Jack held out his hand to Doctor Magnus, helping her to her feet just as the door slid open, revealing Siler and Carter. Jack promptly dropped Magnus’ hand, not missing her knowing her smile, as they faced their rescuers. “Thanks, guys.” He cleared his throat. “I was just helping Doctor Magnus…..”

Siler quickly stifled a smile and Jack decided Sam looked more concerned than suspicious.  
“Got that power surge under control, Carter?” he asked, hoping to distract her.

“Yes, sir. Are you two okay?”

“Just peachy.”

Magnus had her coat slung over one arm and stepped forward. “We are quite unharmed.” She smiled at Carter and Siler, both of whom looked bemused by the elegant woman. “Thank you for your quick intervention.”

“You’re welcome.” Sam looked at him and Jack just shrugged.

“Doctor Magnus, do you need—” 

“Helen! There you are!” A tall, white haired man wearing a white lab coat strode down the hall towards them. 

“Roland,” Magnus said, embracing the man, kissing him on both cheeks. “I’m sorry to be late, but there was some difficulty with the elevator.”

“Ah yes, I heard the alarms and didn’t realize it involved you.” Roland glared at Jack as he spoke, his voice full of disdain. “It’s always something from down there.”

Magnus smiled and winked at Jack before she took the irritated Roland’s arm and started walking away, her voice drifting back clearly to them. “Yes well…as I understand it, deep space telemetry has its unexpected dangers.”

Jack grinned and briefly enjoyed the view of Doctor Magnus walking away before he turned back to face his rescuers. Siler had disappeared into the elevator, the lower half of his body just visible as he disappeared through the trap door in the ceiling. Sam however was still standing there, her arms folded across her chest.

“Who is she?”

“Doctor Helen Magnus. Says she’s some kind of consultant in abnormal psychology.”

Sam still didn’t look convinced, if anything her frown deepened. “What is she doing here?”

“She came to see Roland?”

The eye roll was so brief, Jack almost missed it, but it was quickly followed by a slight smile and Jack knew he was forgiven when she pressed the down button for the elevator bank that would take them down to the SGC. “Just what did you tell her, sir?”

“Just the usual, Carter. She thinks I’m the general in charge of deep space telemetry.”

Sam shook her head. “We have got to come up with a better cover story one of these days.”

“Nah, I’m kind of used to that one.” The elevator chimed and Jack followed Sam in. “And besides, I have it on good authority that what’s true today may not be true tomorrow.”

“Just what did you two talk about, sir?”

Jack grinned and leaned past her, pushing the button for Level Twenty-eight. As the doors slid shut he leaned against the back wall and looked at Sam. He hadn’t really needed a nudge from anyone—even someone like Doctor Helen Magnus—for what he was going to say next. It was time for the truth. He took a deep breath and blurted it out before he could change his mind. 

“Maybe that’s something we can discuss over dinner tonight.” 

THE END


End file.
